Rory O'Malley to Leave BOOK OF MORMON, 1/27

Rory O'Malley has announced on his Facebook page today that he will be exiting the Tony-award winning musical, BOOK OF MORMON. According to the post, his last performance will be on Sunday, January 27th.

"Two years ago today, January 10, 2011, was the first day of rehearsal for The Book of Mormon on Broadway," he begins. "Along with the previous three we spent developing the show, they have been the most wonderful and rewarding years of my career. As a kid I dreamt of nothing more than originating a role on Broadway, but getting to do that with Elder McKinley has fulfilled that dream tenfold. Now it's time to pass the torch, or I guess... sparkly pink vest! My last show will be January 27th. I'll miss it terribly, but I know the BOM family has grown so big that I'll never be far from it! Thank you to all my family, friends, the greatest cast and crew ever assembled, and to BOM's amazing fans. You are all truly... something incredible. NEVER TURN IT OFF!"

The actor received both Tony and Drama Desk nominations for the role of openly closeted Mormon Elder McKinley. His other Broadway credits include The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Off-Broadway and regional credits include Newsical, and the role of Richie Cunningham in Garry Marshall's Happy Days The Musical. He appeared in the film adaptation of Dreamgirls and has had guest roles on TV's Nurse Jackie, Law & Order- SVU.